ABC President Comments on George, Smith and Callie's Future 'Dedicated Lesbian Relationship'

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin dissecting the amount of wrongness that came out of ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson’s mouth at the TCA Winter Press Tour today. Here’s a transcript so we can share in the mind-boggling, wtf-ness of it:

McPherson: Melissa George was a guest for one episode.
Reporter #1: …so many guests just leaving — no, she was in more than one episode.
McPherson: I’m not going to answer the question, that’s an absurd question. The only person who has left the show is Isaiah Washington.
Reporter #2: Brooke Smith.
Reporter #3: Melissa had contracted for 8 to 11 episodes, and she hasn’t gotten 8 to 11 episodes.
McPherson: She didn’t contract for that many episodes, she was a guest —
Reporter #3: That’s what she said.
McPherson: Well, we all know what everybody says when they leave the show, they want to say what works best for them.”
Reporter #3: She was in more than one episode.
McPherson: Yeah, I think she was in three. She was mentioned in one and then shown in two other episodes, I think.
Reporter #4: Brooke Smith was in the opening credits at the start of the season. Was that just, you didn’t like the character —
McPherson: Yeah, the character was not working for us, and the dynamic with the relationship was not working for us. We felt like Sara [Ramirez] is such dynamic character, an amazing actress and woman, and we really just weren’t seeing the excitement out of that relationship. There was some mention that we were upset by the lesbian nature of it. She’s going to be in a dedicated lesbian relationship (chuckling) in the show. So again, that was an actress who was trying to talk about something in a manner that would serve her and not the reality.

Let’s start at the beginning then: Melissa George was a guest for one episode? I’m starting to think the President of ABC doesn’t watch his own programming. From one episode to “I think she was in three. She was mentioned in one and then shown in two other episodes, I think.”

So far, Melissa George has been in five episodes (These Ties That Bind, In the Midnight Hour, All By Myself, Wish You Were Here and Sympathy for the Devil)and should be in a couple more, I believe.

I find it pretty insulting that he’d call George self-serving for telling the truth about how many episodes she was signed for. Especially considering all she’s done is sing praises for the show and the cast.

And then to bash Brooke Smith too? I think Smith handled the whole thing really well, considering she was booted to the curve kind of roughly.

But then he throws out a spoiler in the form of a “dedicated lesbian relationship” for Callie. There’s rumors that Callie and Dr. Arizona Robbins might start something, but there’s been no official confirmation. Though, I guess a comment from the network president could constitute an official confirmation though he didn’t name names. The two characters haven’t even met yet, from what I recall, though maybe next week when Callie starts “walking tall” through Seattle Grace.

I suppose we’ll see. That’s definitely a storyline I look forward to.

Mostly, I just feel bad for Melissa George and Brooke Smith. It’s really not right to make those kinds of comments about them. They don’t deserve it, in my opinion.

What do you guys think?

Via | AfterEllen

Image: Newscom